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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28042290">A Colonel for Christmas: Years Before</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orangesnakes/pseuds/Orangesnakes'>Orangesnakes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Colonelverse [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>KFC "Colonel Sanders" Commercials</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Death, Emily Dickenson - Freeform, Engagement, Erik Nam, Fried Chicken, Hardvard, Harvard Law School, KFC, Kentucky, Law Firm, M/M, Wedding Planning, flower shop, gay colonel sanders, nct - Freeform, taeyong - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:42:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,354</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28042290</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orangesnakes/pseuds/Orangesnakes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>a prequal to A Colonel for Christmas featuring Colonel Sanders and his fiance planning their wedding until this go astray. Special apperances from Kpop sensations Erik Nam and Taeyong as well as literary icon Emily Dickenson.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Colonelverse [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2054103</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Colonel for Christmas: Years Before</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Claudia/gifts">Claudia</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 1</p><p>Callum walked out of the ivy-covered building, greeted by cool February air of the Harvard Law School campus. He smiled when he saw his boyfriend, Harland Sanders, waiting for him with two cups of coffee. “How did it go darlin’, “ Harland said, passing his boyfriend one of the cups he was holding. “I think it went well,” Callum replied. He had just taken the bar. He and Harland planned to open up a copyright law firm.<br/>The pair walked, hand in hand, around the campus, discussing the name for the law firm. “How about Campbell and Sanders Law,” Callum said, a twinkle in his eye as he pictured the future. Harland stopped, taking both of Callum’s hands in his. “How about,” he said, putting one hand into his pocket, “Sander’s Law”. He got down on one knee, and opened a small box,<br/> revealing the prettiest ring Callum had ever seen. “Harland,” he said, eyes filling with tears. “Marry me, Callum,” Harland said, “you are the only man for me”. Callum smiled, a single tear rolled down his cheek. “Of course I’ll marry you, Harland,” he replied. He put the ring on Callum’s finger, standing up and pulling his now fiance into a deep and passionate kiss.<br/>Callum opened the door to the apartment he and Harland shared to see their best friend and neighbor, Erik Nam, sitting on their couch and watching a nature documentary. He had brought his cat, Scruffy, with him. “Erik, you’ll never guess what we’re calling our law firm”, Callum said excitedly. Erik looked up from his documentary about flat earth, “What’d you call it?” he was scratching Scruffy's head. “Sander’s Law,” Callum said, showing his friend the ring. “Oh, no way! Congrats bros!” Erik picked up his cat and turned off the TV. “I’ll give you guys some space then,” he said, smirking, “I was just borrowing your cable”. Erik walked past them and out the door back to his own apartment.<br/>“Why don’t we head over to the bedroom,” Harland said, taking off his coat. Callum took his hand, pulling him to the couch. “This is closer,” he said, pushing Harland onto the couch. Callum pulled Harland closer, kissing him. He loved the feeling of their mustaches rubbing against each other. The pair spent the next few hours expressing their love for each other using their bodies.<br/>Callum pulled on some pants. “You know what sounds good right now,” he said to his fiance, “some of your famous fried chicken. “Harland smiled, “Anything for you darlin’ “. Harland walked over to the fridge, pulling out the chicken. They always had at least ten pounds of raw chicken in the house at all times. “Now that we’re engaged,” Callum said, moving closer to Harland, “you should teach me your secret recipe”. Harland laughed, “we will have plenty of time for that after the wedding”, he turned on the stove and filled a pot with frying oil, “you know I’m very careful who I share it with”. Callum was a tad annoyed by this, “I just figured since we are engaged now, you could teach me”. Harland dropped the chicken into the pot, “I will share it with you, but after the wedding” he said sternly. Callum dropped the subject, it wasn’t worth the fight.<br/>Chapter 2<br/>Callum scrolled through the web, looking for the perfect office to put their law firm in. “What do you think about this one Harland?” He walked over to see the office space Callum had pulled up. “If you like it I love it darlin’,” he said kissing Callum’s cheek. “Now that we have a location chosen, all we have to do now is fill out the pages and pages of paperwork, I’m really looking forward to that” Callum sighed. He loved being a lawyer, but he hated paperwork with a burning passion. Harland sat down at the table across from his fiance, who he had now been engaged to for six months. He closed Callum’s computer, “why don’t we take a break from this to plan something else.” Callum smiled, “our wedding, I almost forgot”.<br/>Erik walked into the house, neither Harland nor Callum knew why they let him have a key, he always walked in at strange times. “What’s up my dudes?” Erik said, pulling out a chair and sitting at the table. Scruffy scratched at the window, pushing it open far enough that he could squeeze through it. Harland sighed, slightly annoyed “we were about to start planning our wedding”. Erik nodded, “that’s dope, I’m pretty good at picking flower arrangements if you want</p><p> any help”. Harland exchanged a look with Callum, who shrugged, they might not have wanted him around right now but the man sure did know his flowers.<br/>Callum dropped the stack of wedding magazines on the table. Erik was in charge of finding flowers, Harland looked at venues, and Callum looked at china and silverware. “My mother has offered to cater the wedding,” Harland said. Callum was surprised, “I thought your mum wasn’t talking to you still, it’s good that she is now, though”. Harland gave a small smile, ever since he and Callum had started dating, and he had come out to his family, his mother had not been so supportive. “I think she’s starting to come around,” Harland said, “She wants to come to the wedding, which is a good sign”. Erik aggressively put his hand on Harland’s shoulder, “bro that’s awesome!” he exclaimed. As much as Callum and Harland loved Erik, he had a bad habit of ruining the mood.</p><p> </p><p>Chapter 3</p><p>Callum and Harland made their way to the florists, with Erik in tow. They had to find the perfect arrangement, and while Erik had not succeeded with the catalogs, they hoped he could perform better in person. They entered the establishment, Patty’s Perfect Petunias offered the best flowers in all of Massachusetts. Erik got to work, sniffing all the flowers, sampling the occasional one. He came upon a giant purple flower hidden away in a corner, “this is the one,” Erik said with a twinkle in his eye.<br/>The florist, who wasn’t actually Patty, came around the corner, surprisingly impressed by Erik’s work. “That flower is reserved for special customers,” she said with a smile, “but you seem to be pretty good, I’ll give it to you on one condition”. Erik turned around, he was very focused on the flowers, “name your price” he responded. The florist thought for a second, a little surprised, “I want you to go on a date with me. Just one, I am very intrigued by your skills”. Erik stuck his hand out, and they shook on it. “I’ll pick you up when the store closes,” he smiled, “my friends here need thirty of these for their wedding”.<br/>The trio walked out of the store. “What’s so great about that flower Erik?” Callum asked he didn’t know anything about flowers. “Not much,” Erik shrugged, “It’ll match the plate you chose well, plus its leaves look kind of like a fried chicken drumstick, and tasted like one too, but no one's gonna be eating the leaves so that’s beside the point. Anyways, it works for you two as a couple”. Harland chuckled, Erik had strange ways of choosing flowers. “I appreciate your help very much, my good man,” Harland shook Erik’s hand, he was too formal for his age sometimes.</p><p> </p><p>Chapter 4</p><p>It had been six months since they had gone to the florists. The wedding was now three weeks away, and Erik had somehow convinced them to add another plate for his now girlfriend, the florist. Harland sat on the couch, he looked stressed. “What’s wrong?” Callum sat down next to his soon to be husband. Harland’s expression changed from stressed to sad as he looked into Callum’s eyes. “My mother said she wants me to move back to Kentucky. She said that’s the only way she’ll come to our wedding”. Callum wasn’t shocked, as from what little he knew about her, Harland’s mom was not an easy person to please. “Well, what did you say?” Callum asked. “I said we would,” Harland replied. Callum was shocked, and a little mad. “You said we would move across the country, and you didn’t talk to me about it?” Harland was sad that</p><p> Callum was not as supportive as he had hoped. “What was I supposed to say? She’s my mother and I finally have a chance at having a good relationship with her again for the first time in years”. Callum stood up and walked around the room. “What’s stopping you from doing that up here? What about our lives? Our law firm? We can’t just move across the country on the chance that maybe she will change. She’s done this before, only to back out,” Callum said angrily. “She’s my mother, Callum, I want her at my wedding” Harland was sad that Callum didn’t seem to understand. “I need space to process this,” Callum said, walking towards the front door.<br/>“Wait, we can talk about this, Callum,” Harland reached to stop his fiance from walking out the door. “No, Harland,” Callum said, “we can’t”.<br/>Callum stormed towards his car. Maybe a drive would help him to clear his head and understand where Harland was coming from. He turned down a country road, the speed and lack of other cars always helped him to think. He couldn’t believe Harland. Why would he agree to move across the country without talking to him? They were about to get married, they would share a life, and Callum didn’t want to spend it in Kentucky. They had a life here, they had just opened the firm a week ago, they had friends, and they had a future here. All they had in Kentucky was one woman who would probably just hurt Harland again and again. Although, she is his mother, and maybe she does deserve another chance. No. She was horrible. She had been nothing but bad to Harland for the past five years. He didn’t want the love of his life to get hurt again. He couldn’t stand to see Harland sad. Maybe going back would make him happy again. Harland. It’s been hours, Callum thought. He didn’t want to worry him. He should turn around. He should- There was a deer in the road, Callum couldn’t get out of the way. He swerved, but he was going too fast and flipped the car into a ditch.</p><p> </p><p>Chapter 5</p><p>Callum woke up in the hospital to see Harland talking to a nurse outside his room. Harland looked over to see Callum awake and started to cry. He ran into the room and started apologizing. “Darlin’, I’m so sorry, I should have talked to you. We’ll stay here. You and me,” he grabbed Callum’s hand, “I love you”. Callum tried to speak, but he couldn’t. The nurse walked in, “sir, your vocal cords were damaged, we don’t know when, or if you will regain your voice”. He looked at Harland, who was still crying, despite how much he was trying to hold it together. The nurse continued, “Mr.Campbell, you were hurt very badly in the crash....” Her voice got quieter and quieter as Callum drifted off, he couldn’t seem to stay awake. His heart rate went flat, nurses and doctors rushed in, and Harland got told to leave the room.<br/>Erik rushed into the waiting room to find a teary-eyed Harland. “What happened, is Callum going to be alright?” Erik sat next to his friend. Harland looked at Erik, “he, uh,” he couldn’t bring himself to say the words, but Erik had figured it out already. “Oh,” he said sadly, “I’m so sorry bro”.<br/>The nurse walked into the waiting room. Harland and Erik looked up, hoping the worst hadn’t happened. “Mr. Sanders?” the nurse asked. Harland stood up and walked over. The nurse sat him down. “I’m so sorry Harland,” said, putting a hand on his shoulder, “we did everything we could but your fiance passed away five minutes ago”. Harland wanted to cry, but he couldn’t. He just stood up and walked away. Erik followed him, he was concerned. “Bro where are you going?” he asked, having a hard time keeping up with him. Harland kept walking,</p><p>“I can’t stay here, Erik. I have to go back to Kentucky”. Eric was a little confused, “what about Callum? What about the firm?” Harland stopped and looked at Erik, “Callum’s gone, which means the firm is gone and I have nothing here. I am sorry Erik, but I have to go”. Harland walked off, leaving Erik in the hospital.</p><p> </p><p>Chapter 7</p><p>Callum woke up, or at least, he thought he did. He stood up only to turn around and see himself in a hospital bed. “What’s going on?” Callum was panicked. “It’s ok,” a feminine voice said. Callum turned around to see a woman in late 1800’s dress, and twink. “What’s going on, and who are you?” Callum demanded to know. “It’s all ok,” the woman repeated, “I am Emily Dickinson, and this is Lee Taeyong. We have come to collect your soul, and help you pass onto the other side”. Callum was even more panicked now, “but, but I’m getting married next month. Wait, Harland, where is he? Is he okay?” Emily Dickinson put her hand on Callum’s shoulder, “he will be, but you need to move on.” Lee Taeyong pulled Emily into the corner, and whispered something to her, they appeared to have a small argument about something. The twink stepped forward, leaving a grumpy looking Emily in the corner. “Mr. Campbell,” he said, “we need you to do something for us. In about ten years, you will need to help Harland. However, to do so you need to come with us,” he extended his hand towards Callum, “so if you could please come with us, it would be much obliged”. Callum sighed, after the mess he had made he owed Harland this. So, he took the man’s hand and followed Emily and Taeyong into the light.</p>
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